Banner Year for Women in Politics

Khushi Bhatt

2020 has been an unprecedented and hectic year, with COVID-19 hitting us hard and a controversial presidential election taking place. Amongst the chaos, this year has been very female driven and filled with powerful women in politics. With Joe Biden selecting the first female vice-president in American history, and a Congress composed of the most women in American history yet, this year is sure to go down in history. 

January

Tensions between the US and Iran increased, with rumors of WW3 spreading. Military and federal sites were targeted and shootings and riots were turning violent, and fear struck the American public. During this time, the hill was buzzing with news of Trump’s impeachment inquiry that was being spearheaded by speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi. 

February

Gun violence was a huge problem and people advocated for change from the legislative branch. President Trump was acquitted and impeached during this month with the help of Speaker Pelosi. Moreover, rumors about Senator Elizabeth Warren’s run for the presidency also started popping up along with talk about AOC, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley’s hopes for re-election. 

March and April

During March and April of 2020 the country was fledged into the pandemic. Coronavirus forced nationwide schools, businesses and offices to close. The virus detirotiated the economy of several nations bringing them down onto their knees. Riots and protests broke out and all eyes turned to the Trump administration. At this time, the women on capitol hill were all bustling towards election day, preparing for the worst to come. 

May

With the pandemic persevering, citizens turned their focus to U.S politics. During May many former presidential hopefuls terminated their well-fought presidential campaigns, including Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. 

June and July

Black lives matter protests made headlines. After the death of George Floyd many protesters advocated for racial justice and against police brutality. Several states were faced with infuriated civilians demanding justice for the innocent lives taken by biased police violence. Our ladies on the hill were busy at work, trying to find creative solutions to these problems.

August and September

These months were filled with grief and loss. BLM protests were heading strong and surfacing to their 100th night. Trump’s administration was “slowly sinking” and on the brink of another catastrophe. In August Joe Biden, the democratic party’s choice for president named Kamala Harris as his choice for vice president. People all over the world were thrilled to see representation from a biracial woman. On September 18th 2020, the world was heartbroken to hear about the passing of former supreme court justice Ruth bader Ginsburg. RBG paved the way and set an example for young women across the nation and her death left us all at a loss of words.

October

After the passing of RBG the Trump administration jumped to nominate Amy Coney Barret to fill Justice Ginsburg’s spot. Many of Judge Barret’s beliefs oppose those of RBG, creating lots of controversy. 

November and December

The day the country had been waiting for was finally upon us: Election day! With both presidential campaigns amassing significant support, the results would come down to the polls. On November 7th 2020 the race was called by the electoral college and Joe Biden was named the President-elect of the United States of America. Kamala Harris was marked as the first female VP-elect. Countless Americans headed to the streets and partied. Along with the presidential race being called the congress and house races were finalized as well. There were a record breaking amount of women in both and this was an overall win for us ladies. In the month following the election President-elect Biden went on to establish his cabinet and communications teams which are predominantly female centered.

History Made With Biden’s All Female Communications Team

Khushi Bhatt

President-elect Joe Biden announced his history shattering appointees for the White house communications team. For the first time in American history, these communications roles will be filled entirely by women. Some familiar names on the hill such as Kate Bedingfield and Jen Psaki are already helping oversee the transition of administrations. These women are well established politicians and have served in senior/executive roles for the Obama administration, making them more than qualified for the job. 

President-elect Biden has always been a very “female empowering” president. He communicated this message early on in his campaign by announcing Kamala Harris as his VP pick. Biden said “Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House.” He continues to say that “ These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better.” Biden understands the extent of the divisions plaguing our country right now, and hopes to bring us together under our common American spirit. The Biden administration promises a better tomorrow, not just for women, but for every struggling American. By electing an all female team, Biden establishes America as a role model for other countries who have far to go in terms of female representation in politics. 

To conclude, the American political race is a very interesting playing field right now but the President-elect assures us that his communications team are “some of the most talented, battle-tested communicators out there,” Under the administration we hope to see more inclusion, diversity and unity. We look forward to seeing what this unique yet powerful team comes to accomplish in the near future!

Record Number of Women to Serve in the Next Senate and House

Khushi Bhatt

Women were born to fight. To fight against the patriarchy, to fight through misogyny, and to fight through politics. The 117th U.S Congress will welcome it’s doors to at least 17 women and the house will welcome 29 women ( 83 D , 21 R ). These numbers set a new record for female representation in the legislative branch. Out of the 129 women in the house, 51 of those women are people of color and come from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds. 

Now, you may be wondering… why does this matter? This is an amazing accomplishment for American politics because it ensures legislation from people who understand the various problems faced by diverse groups. No matter our political affiliations, this diversification in politics is an amazing achievement for our nation.  

From being granted the right to vote, to the 19th amendment, to now where women make up 25% of the house, America has come such a long way. The strides in female representation in politics prove that, “She can and she will.”